Bowflex BXE216

Quick Summary

The Bowflex Results BXE216 Elliptical is part of the Bowflex Results series, which was developed with lots of research into what customers want versus what’s already on the market — and the effort shows!

For a sale price of $1,799 the BXE216 supplies a 35-pound front drive, a 22” stride with power incline, adjustable cushioning, Bluetooth connectivity and other impressive specs.

Get the details from FitRated’s full BXE216 review.

Specifications

Model	Bowflex BXE216
Rating Our custom rating considers all of the elliptical's features, specs, warranties, and 100's of user & expert reviews, to save you time!	92%
List Price Suggested retail price, typically higher than the price you'll pay with our recommended retailers.	$2,199
Best Price Since prices change daily, this link goes to our preferred retailer for the best price we've found.	$1799
Resistance Resistance is what determines calories burned per stride. The more levels, the more precisely you can control the difficulty.	25 Levels
Resistance Type The type of resistance affects the performance of your elliptical. Magnetic and Eddy-Current are the most common types.	N/A
Stride Length Stride Length is important for comfort and smooth strides. A stride length of 18-21 inches is ideal for most heights (5'3 - 6'7).	22"
Pedals Elliptical pedals can be cushioned and adjustable for maximum comfort and minimum impact on joints for injury prevention.	Adjustable & Oversized
Incline Some elliptical trainers can be set at an incline to increase difficulty and burn more calories.	10%
Flywheel The flywheel controls the smoothness and resistance of your workout. In general, the higher the better.	35 lbs
Programs Elliptical Programs allow you to complete a workout with changing speeds and inclines, without changing anything manually.	11
User Profiles For each profile the elliptical allows, you can create a custom user account with saved programs and goal settings.	4 Users
Heart Rate Heart Rate programs allow you to track how many times your heart is beating per minute (bpm), and some control the workout for you.	Yes – The Bowflex BXE216 Elliptical uses the included chest strap to measure your heart rate.
Display Elliptical Display refers to the screen you'll look at to monitor workouts. LED and LCD displays are similar to TV screens.	9" Color LCD
Max. Weight Max User Weight is the amount of weight, in pounds (lbs), that it can safely support, which can represent durability.	400 lbs
Dimensions Dimensions are included to help you figure out if this elliptical will fit properly (Length x Width x Height and Height x Depth).	77" L x 31" W x 70" H
Upper Body Most ellipticals have handles to hold while you're working out that provide an upper body workout.
Accessory Tray Some ellipticals include an accessory tray for holding items such as water bottles, wallets, keys, or MP3 players like iPods.
Speakers Ellipticals that include a sound system allow you to listen to your MP3 player/iPod through built-in speakers (without headphones).
Cooling Fans Cooling Fans are designed to help keep you cool during an intense workout on your elliptical.
Folding? Some ellipticals are designed to conserve space by folding up. This is a convenient option, but some features might be reduced.
Quick Controls Quick Controls allow you to select speed, incline and even workout programs with the touch of a button (usually on the handles).
Warranty The warranty is an important part of your investment. The longer the warranty, the longer you can get free/discounted repairs.	10-years frame, 5-years parts, 5-years electronics, 2-years labor.

Our Rating

Rating: 92/100. The brand-new Bowflex Results BXE216 Elliptical has been eagerly anticipated by longtime Bowflex fans. Exercising with low impact on your joints/tendons has always been a benefit of using Bowflex fitness equipment, yet this is one of the first “traditional ellipticals” built with Bowflex style. It could be your best match if the high-intensity Bowflex Max Trainer for runners isn’t best for everyone in your household… yet you still want the option of serious cardio and resistance training with low risk of injury.

The BXE216 has 25 levels of resistance to suit everything from light to challenging elliptical cross training (strength and cardio) for home gym users at all ability levels. A top-notch feature is its 35-pound flywheel, which satisfies a commercial weight standard. The console can hold a tablet computer to help keep you motivated, and the built-in workout computer supports up to four user profiles.

As the name claims, this elliptical is truly focused on results. First, the ellipse-shaped stride path is a generous 22 inches long. That’s a bit longer than the average person’s natural gait — and studies show that by stretching your stride a bit, you can burn more calories without perceiving a greater effort. Second, the moving handlebars are curved to support multiple grip positions. This lets you comfortably diversify your upper-body training. Depending on how you hold the bars, you can focus on different muscle groups in your arms, back, chest and core. Also supporting your progress are built-in training programs and a Bluetooth connection for syncing the workout data with mobile fitness apps. In addition to the usual elliptical workout feedback (time, distance, heart rate, total calories burned, etc.) you’ll see calorie burn per minute, which can be more motivating feedback than a cumulative report.

Pros:

35-pound flywheel
22” elliptical stride path
10% maximum incline
Cushioned pedals
Multi-grip handlebars
11 built-in workout programs including Calorie Burn, Fat Burn, 5K, Heart Rate, Interval, and Strength
Large data screen with per-minute calorie burn feedback
Media shelf at top of console
Supports up to four user profiles
Bluetooth enabled for wireless stats sharing
Wireless heart rate receiver and chest strap
Speed and resistance controls built into the handgrips
Integrated water bottle holder
Built with wheels, the Bowflex BXE216 Elliptical is easy to move
400-pound user weight capacity
Good warranty and money-back guarantee

Cons:

Heavy machine weight (263 pounds)
New to market; could have unexpected flaws

Introduction

The new Bowflex BXE216 Elliptical is a front drive cross trainer for home use. This fitness machine for the whole family has a compact size, supports up to four user profiles, and has 25 levels of resistance plus incline to suit virtually anyone’s ability level and desired workout intensity. As described below, programming on the BXE216 is particularly results-focused in terms of goal setting and data feedback.

Workout Programs

The BXE216 Bowflex Results console is loaded with 11 training programs, including Calorie Burn, Fat Burn, 5K, Heart Rate, Interval, and Strength. These minimize set-up time and help ensure that your exercise time is well spent. Each program can automatically adjust the machine’s resistance and incline as you train for specific goals in the categories of calorie burn, heart rate and more. Controls for resistance and incline are built into the handlebars and console as well.

Up to four users can save their profiles for the most accurate feedback. This includes minute-by-minute calorie burn, heart rate and more. Bluetooth connectivity makes tracking your exercise data simple, helping you celebrate your progress and tweak your workout plans as needed.

Bowflex BXE216 Features

The BXE216 has a front drive design to help maximize your living space. It takes up less space than rear drive trainers, but with adjustable stride path it can comfortably fit a wide range of trainees.

The flywheel weighs 35 pounds, which is heavier than the norm for a home elliptical. If well balanced the wheel can support exceptionally smooth low-impact striding. A digital magnetic resistance system lets you alternate among 25 challenge levels.

For lower-body sculpting and cardio training boosts, the BXE216 Elliptical has up to 10 percent incline. Incline can be automated with workout programs. Up/down incline controls are also built into a handlebar grip, and large buttons for specific incline settings are on the console for quick adjustment.

This elliptical also has moving handlebars to allow total-body training. The handlebars are built with curved grips that allow more than one holding position, so upper-body exercise can be focused on different muscle groups.

Workout programming is shown on a good-looking LED with multiple data points visible at once. A highlight is the calorie burn feedback, which is calculated per minute (not just in total) for extra motivation.

Each Bowflex Results elliptical ships with a chest strap for wireless heart rate monitoring.
For long-term stats tracking the Bowflex Results console is Bluetooth enabled; you can export your numbers for use with the Bowflex Results app and other popular mobile apps for health like MyFitnessPal.

A media shelf at the top of the console can keep your mobile device handy and includes a USB charging port.

Questions/Answers

Can I connect my phone and play music through the Bowflex BXE216 Elliptical? The machine is Bluetooth compatible and has a USB port for charging devices, so yes.
What is the minimum recommended ceiling height for the Bowflex BXE216 Elliptical? The manufacturer recommends a ceiling which is 35″ higher than the user’s own height.
Do I need to lubricate the Bowflex BXE216? If so, how often? Yes, and of course frequency will depend on usage. Manufacturers estimate every 6 months, but users should be able to notice if the motion is problematic before that. Instructional videos from the manufacturer are online to demonstrate this process.

Warranty & Guarantee

Purchased factory-direct the BXE216 Elliptical arrives with a generous standard warranty. Also, like all Bowflex fitness equipment it can be returned for a refund within six weeks if you’re not satisfied.

The standard warranty provides the following coverage:

10-years frame, 5-years parts, 5-years electronics, 2-years labor.

Considering the machine’s $1,799 sale price, the standard warranty on parts and electronics is outstanding. For $199 you can extend the labor warranty to five years. A cheaper extension to just three years may also be available at checkout.

Conclusion

The Bowflex Results BXE216 looks like a very promising contender in the under-$2,000 elliptical category. Its 35-pound resistance system is exceptional for the home elliptical market, and the 22” stride is even longer than the health club norm. Multigrip handlebars complete the picture for great total-body workouts in terms of motion… and in terms of electronics, the new Burn Rate console provides a good variety of training programs and is optimized for goal-setting and goal tracking. We also appreciate how it supports up to four user profiles — many home fitness machines aren’t so personalized — and has a shelf for a tablet computer or magazine. We’re still collecting customers’ reviews but expect the new Bowflex Results elliptical to be an all-around favorite for home gyms.